Rose Brooks

Episode 356 – Mainly on the Main, Bergs and Burgs

Today we cruised the Main River, mirror-still under sunny skies, headed for Miltenberg, where we took the included walking tour.

This is the kind of information Viking gives us each day in the 4-page flyer aptly called the “Viking Daily”.

We’ve entered a region where almost every place name includes berg (hill/mountain) or burg (fortress). Not every berg is topped by a burg, but virtually every burg is located on a berg.

Our morning was spent simply sailing and relaxing on the sunniest and warmest day we’ve had yet. What a glorious autumn it is here! The water was completely still, giving Ted some great photography opportunities.

We often go through locks at night, but this morning sat out on the deck of the ship watching our progress through several. In total, this itinerary takes us through 68 locks, 16 of which are in a single canal that will begin in Bamberg, which we’ll reach in a couple of days.

And then we arrived in Miltenberg, a city filled with stunning half-timbered houses.

Those arriving by boat are greeted by a statue of three mischievous boys, reminding us that in the Middle Ages,the Main River was the city’s latrine as well as a commercial waterway.

As is the case in many German cities, we came across Stolpersteine (stumbling blocks) commemorating victims of Nazi persecution. We also walked past Miltenberg’s Jewish cemetery, attesting to,the Jewish population here from the 15th to 20th centuries.

One of the places we stopped was a wine cellar carved into the mountain. On the way out, I bought a bottle of local wine in the iconic Franconian bottle shaped called a “bocksbeutel”, the flattened ellipsoid that is supposed to look like the “ram”s scrotum” that was used in the 15th century as a wine flask.

We were introduced to Guntram, the town’s quirky resident artist whose propensity for painting buxom nudes, while himself wearing only lederhosen hotpants, has become something of a modern legend in Miltenberg.

Before returning to our ship for the evening’s reception for Viking Explorer Society members (one woman on our ship was taking her 11th Viking cruise!), we stopped at the Hotel Zum Riesen, the oldest operating hotel in Germany, established in 1411.

Another amazing day completed.

Tomorrow, we head off onto Bavaria’s famous “Romantic Road”.

12 comments

  1. Thanks for making my Travel Short List longer with this adventure😘 (while our daughter lives on the Rhine near Wiesbaden & we’ve explored ALOT, we’ve somehow missed Miltenberg.) We’ll definitely fix that with your insights, much appreciated ❤️
    Ps admire your ongoing dedication to the stumble stones honoring Nazi victims; gives me heart their stories aren’t lost…

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  3. Loved the Silvaner wine there! It is rare to find it in the US. We (three couples who met on the trip) drank every bottle they had on the ship during our GE trip in 2017! Your blog is bringing back so many great memories of our trip! Thanks for posting and all the great pictures by Ted which highlight your experiences.

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  5. Hello Rose…
    I just wanted you to know how much I enjoy reading your posts!
    I started following you when you guys were on the world cruise this past year… We will be traveling on Viking’s world cruise beginning in January 2023 and are super excited!
    We have been to many places you post and I love seeing your perspective and also reliving the memories from previous travels!

    Thank you again for providing such wonderful blogs!
    You are truly a gifted writer, wish I could write like you do!

    Kind regards,
    Karen B.
    Sent from my iPhone

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  6. I loved Miltenberg in November 2015 (beautiful weather!) and did an optional excursion after our walk. I did a small watercolor painting of the Hotel Zum Riesen, “coached” by the gallery owner. So much fun and a great keepscape of that pretty little village. Thanks for jogging my memory!

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  7. I have enjoyed following your adventures immensely.  We were on the 2022 World Cruise and your commentary has been so very good.  I admire your journeys as we are just beginning our own.Today’s photos of the river are gorgeous.Pat Moen

    Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS

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